West Nile virus is busy this year, with 241 cases and four deaths reported.

Mosquitos are the carriers of this disease, and we all know the mosquito population has exploded this summer. It is possible to transmit West Nile virus (WNV) in other ways, such as through blood transfusions, organ transplants, breastfeeding, or even during pregnancy from mother to baby, but the risk for those types of transmissions is small.

No one wants WNV, so the first thing to do is prevent mosquito bites.

Use insect repellent, and reapply it periodically – read the directions on the can.

Look around your property – if there’s any standing water, drain it. Mosquitos love to breed in still waters.

Mosquitos were getting in our house in the evenings. After a couple of hours of investigation, we discovered a gap in a screen where they were getting through. Check every door and window in your home for openings.

Most people who are infected with WNV experience no symptoms, but for some, infection can cause fever, headache, nausea, coma, paralysis and other serious problems.

There is no treatment specific to WNV. If you become infected, your symptoms will be treated.

Be aware that mosquitos carry more than WNV. They also carry and transmit dengue, various viral diseases that cause encephalitis, malaria, yellow fever, and Rift Valley fever.

Contact your city or county to find out what they’re doing to reduce the mosquito population. If they’re not doing enough, rally your neighbors to add their voices to yours in asking that action be taken.

The sparkling, bubbling stream near your tent may be bursting with the parasite Giardia intestinalis, or any number of other nasties you don’t want to ingest. (Giardiasis is a form of diarrhea you’ll never forget.)

Taking a tumble while gamboling about the woods can leave you open to infection – possibly tetanus. If the family isn’t vaccinated, tetanus can be contracted through soil exposure to a cut.

Mosquitoes are back, and so is West Nile virus (WNV). It was first identified in Africa in 1937, and made its way to New York in the summer of 1999.It’s pretty much all over the country now.

Remember when WNV dominated the news, and we were told not to touch dead birds? Well, as it turns out, WNV transmission is through mosquitoes that bite infected birds, carry the virus in their saliva, and then bite humans or animals.

There are other forms of transmission, including through organ transplants and blood transfusions. Transmission from mother to unborn child and through breast milk is possible, although CDC says the chances are so remote, one should not stop breastfeeding because of risk of WNV infection.

For the most part, WNV is pretty benign, with few or no symptoms. The incubation period is 3 to 14 days. Of those infected, 20% may develop West Nile fever, which can cause flu-like symptoms and lasts less than a week.

It’s possible to become infected through transfusions or transplantation. Donated blood is screened for seven infectious agents, including WNV. The complication that arises is the lack of consistency and standardization in screening blood for WNV, as logistics play a role in the process. Protocols may be more rigorous in areas where WNV is more prevalent. The more sensitive testing is costly and time-consuming.

Then there’s screening of donated organs. Time and test sensitivity are factors. Do the risks of an organ potentially infected with WNV outweigh the benefit of the time necessary to test a donated organ for WNV? Should a standardized protocol be utilized, or should WNV geographic prevalence play a role in determining protocols? And finally, should recipients have a choice in accepting organs that are potentially infected with WNV, without testing?

There are no certain answers to these questions.

Prevention of WNV is what you would suspect: limiting your exposure to mosquitoes by wearing protective clothing or mosquito repellent, and by eliminating breeding areas. Check out this tool and find the perfect repellent that meets your needs! In addition to repellent, make sure you follow these suggestions to minimize your exposure to WNV-carrying mosquitoes:

Disclaimer

The information on PKIDs' Blog is for educational purposes only and should not be considered to be medical advice. It is not meant to replace the advice of the physician who cares for you or your child. All medical advice and information should be considered to be incomplete without a physical exam, which is not possible without a visit to your doctor.